AWS funding & credits

AWS funding and credits for your next project.

Moving to AWS, launching a new workload or testing an AI use case? Explore usage credits and support toward eligible assessment and implementation costs.

Discuss your project

Eligibility, funding amounts and timing are subject to AWS approval.

Your project matters as much as your company size. MAP can be relevant to startups, SMBs and enterprises, depending on the workload, projected AWS usage and program requirements.

Three different benefits

What support can look like.

AWS usage credits

Offset eligible AWS service charges for a defined period. Credits are not cash or payment for CloudHero consulting invoices.

Support toward delivery

An approved AWS contribution may help offset specific assessment or implementation work. Your proposal shows the resulting customer price.

Reseller benefits

Flexible payment terms, a monthly invoice discount and access to AWS expertise. Agreed through AWS Resell, separately from project funding.

For startups

Extend runway. Build the right foundation.

Starting or scaling your AWS usage

CloudHero's startup program offers up to $10,000 in AWS credits for eligible startups, subject to qualification and program terms. We review your situation and explain the available offer before you join.

AWS Activate is another route worth checking. Eligibility and the available package depend on factors including your startup's age, funding stage, provider affiliation and previous Activate awards. If you are backed by an accelerator or investor, ask whether it is an Activate Provider. We review this alongside the CloudHero offer rather than assume the awards can be added together. AWS Activate eligibility and tiers

Useful when: You need help with eligible cloud costs while building and growing your business.

Assessing a migration or AI project

Before committing to a larger project, eligible startups may qualify for support toward an assessment through AWS's Incremental Workloads program. This can help establish the migration approach or evaluate an AI opportunity and its path to implementation.

With CloudHero, the proposed assessment deliverables can include a recommended approach, an AWS cost estimate and a phased delivery plan. Funding eligibility is reviewed against the actual project.

Useful when: You have a specific project in mind and need enough evidence to make an investment decision.

Migrating an existing application to AWS

If your application currently runs on another cloud, in a data center or on your own servers, startup migration support may help with eligible AWS usage and delivery costs. Usage credits can help reduce the cost of operating both environments during the transition.

We assess the startup migration route alongside MAP and identify the appropriate option. Moving an AI workload can also be reviewed, including the practical impact on application behavior, model quality and operating costs.

Useful when: You have an existing workload to move and want a clear migration budget and plan.

Adding a new production workload

Eligible startups adopting AWS services for AI, analytics, containers or non-relational databases may qualify for implementation support through Incremental Workloads Build.

This route is for qualifying new workloads. It does not cover building your startup's MVP or core product, proofs of concept, demos or tests. The 2026 Build offering supports delivery work rather than providing customer usage credits.

Useful when: You have a defined new workload, a production objective and a delivery plan.

Discuss startup funding Explore startup credits Agentic DevOps for startups

For small and medium businesses

Make the project affordable and manageable.

Moving applications and infrastructure to AWS

The AWS Migration Acceleration Program, including MAP Lite for qualifying smaller migrations, can help offset eligible migration costs. Support depends on the project and projected AWS usage; being a smaller business does not automatically exclude you. AWS describes MAP funding as supporting migrations and modernizations of different sizes. AWS funding options

CloudHero can help you compare the current environment with a proposed AWS architecture, estimate ongoing costs and plan the transition. For your team, the important outputs are a practical migration scope, an agreed budget and clear responsibility for operating the result.

Useful when: Your hosting arrangement is limiting growth, your infrastructure needs renewal or your business needs better resilience.

Testing an AI or data use case

For a defined proof of concept, we can check whether AWS support is available for the proposed work. The scope should answer a business question: can this solution improve a workflow, meet quality requirements and run at an acceptable cost?

A CloudHero proposal can define the prototype, success measures, expected running costs and the decision required before production. Funding availability and the customer contribution are confirmed for that project; a proof of concept is not a commitment to fund the production rollout.

Useful when: You need evidence before investing in an AI application, integration or data platform.

Improving ongoing purchasing terms

If the immediate priority is your monthly AWS bill and payment arrangements, AWS Resell may be more relevant than migration funding. CloudHero offers flexible payment terms, a monthly invoice discount and access to AWS expertise. We set out the applicable terms in your proposal.

Discuss your AWS project Plan an AWS migration Explore AWS Resell

For enterprises

Support a phased transformation.

Planning and executing a migration program

MAP provides a framework for assessing the business case, preparing the environment and migrating or modernizing workloads. Financial support can help offset eligible initial migration costs. The award depends on the approved scope and program conditions. AWS MAP overview

CloudHero can help structure the work around application dependencies, security requirements, migration waves and operational readiness. We evaluate funding alongside delivery risk and the longer-term cost of running the environment.

Useful when: You are consolidating data centers, moving application portfolios or planning infrastructure renewal.

Modernizing databases, VMware and business applications

Tell us if your project includes databases, analytics, VMware or major business applications. Workload-specific incentives may be relevant, but availability and terms need to be checked for the proposed migration.

The customer decision should include licensing, performance, resilience, operational responsibilities and ongoing cost. Funding is one part of that business case.

Evaluating AI before production investment

For an AI or data initiative, we can review possible support for a defined assessment or proof of concept. Establish success criteria, data access, security controls, expected running costs and production responsibilities before expanding the work.

Ongoing managed services and team augmentation are scoped separately. Project funding should not be treated as a standing budget for operational support or embedded engineers.

Discuss your migration program Explore migration services Plan ongoing operations

A customer migration example

How MAP supported Green Horse Games.

Green Horse Games and CloudHero used MAP during a phased move from two cloud providers to AWS. The customer-approved case material describes support toward parallel infrastructure costs while the migration was underway.

The example shows why funding belongs in migration planning. It does not establish the amount or terms available to a new project.

Read the Green Horse Games migration case

MAP across company sizes

Migration support, step by step.

MAP is a migration program, not an enterprise-only category or a discount on every AWS bill. The appropriate route depends on the eligible workload and projected AWS spend, alongside other program requirements. In funding discussions, annualized AWS spend refers to the workload's expected AWS usage—not your company's annual sales.

Assess
Does the move make sense?
Workload review, cost comparison, risks and migration recommendation.
Mobilize
Are we ready to migrate?
AWS foundations, security and governance, delivery planning and initial preparation.
Migrate & modernize
How do we move and improve?
Migration waves, validation, selected modernization and operational handover.

The scope and financial support for each phase are confirmed for your engagement. Read about AWS MAP.

How CloudHero helps

Start with your project.

You do not need to know which AWS program to choose. Tell us what you want to build or move, and we will help you assess the options.

Your business goal and the workload involved
Where it runs today and approximate infrastructure costs
Expected AWS usage, if known—we can help estimate it
Target dates and major constraints
Previous AWS credits and, for startups, age and funding stage

Before we start

Your funding questions, answered.

Is funding guaranteed?

No. Eligibility, amounts and timing depend on AWS approval and the applicable program. We confirm the approved support in writing before you rely on it in the project budget.

Will credits pay for consulting or managed services?

AWS usage credits offset eligible AWS charges. Any support toward CloudHero's delivery work is handled separately and reflected in your proposal. AWS promotional credit terms

Can I combine startup credits, migration support and reseller discounts?

Possibly, subject to the applicable terms. We check compatibility, previous awards and billing arrangements rather than add advertised maximums together. AWS's credit terms restrict combining incentives without authorization. AWS promotional credit terms

Will support cover everything?

That depends on the approved offer. Plan for any remaining delivery costs, ineligible charges and ongoing usage after credits are consumed or expire. Credits have usage restrictions and an expiry date. AWS promotional credit terms

Can support be arranged after work has started?

Contact us during planning. Do not assume completed or already-started work can receive retrospective funding. We check the requirements before scheduling work that depends on an award.

Do I need to move all my infrastructure?

We can review a specific workload or a wider migration. The right scope depends on dependencies, business value and eligibility; there is no need to begin with an all-or-nothing assumption.

Guide prepared by CloudHero from AWS program documentation. Reviewed 28 October 2026. Programs and terms can change. All funding and credits are subject to eligibility, approval and applicable conditions.

What are you planning to build or move?

Understand the approach, expected costs and funding options worth pursuing.